Two killed as monsoon remains active in Kerala

Kochi/Kottayam/Palakkad: Two people died in rain-related incidents as the southwest monsoon remained active in the state on Monday. IMD has said widespread heavy to very extremely heavy rainfall is likely to occur at one or two places in the state on Tuesday. It has issued a red alert for Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.A 15-year-old boy, Murshid Muhammed, died after falling into a water body while fishing at Changaramkulam in Malappuram while a 37-year-old man lost his life at Kuzhalmannam in Palakkad after a pillar on top of a well fell on him while he was cleaning it.The deceased was Ramadas, alias Unnikannan, a resident of Perumkunnam Thekkekara. The pillar fell on Ramadas around 11am on Monday. He was cleaning the well in the compound of a Charapparambu resident. It hit Ramadas, causing critical injuries, eyewitnesses said. Residents alerted fire and rescue service personnel. They rushed to the spot and brought Ramadas out of the well, but his life could not be saved, residents said. The body was shifted to the Palakkad district hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination.Banyan tree falls on school buildingA big decades-old banyan tree fell on the building of Govt Higher Secondary School at Koodal in Pathanamthitta early Monday morning in strong winds and damaged a portion of its tin-sheeted roof, parapet and toilet, but a major accident was averted as students had not turned up.Fire and rescue services personnel, with the help of local people, cut the tree and removed it. Residents alleged that the district panchayat authorities were repeatedly asked to cut it, but they hesitated citing lack of funds. The education department had also issued strict orders to cut dangerous trees on school premises.Rain forecastTuesday’s rain forecast is in view of an upper air cyclonic circulation over east-central Arabian Sea off south Konkan coast and an east-west trough (low- pressure system) from coastal Karnataka to coastal Andhra Pradesh running between 3.1km and 4.5km above mean sea level.IMD has issued an orange alert for Malappuram and Wayanad and yellow alert for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad for Tuesday. No alert has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. While northern Kerala is very likely to receive heavy rainfall, the intensity of rainfall in southern and central Kerala will come down on Wednesday and Thursday.Strong surface winds with speed occasionally reaching 40-50kmph are likely to prevail over Kerala and Lakshadweep till Wednesday.